Methods, controllers, and machine-readable storage media for automated commissioning of equipment

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments relate to a method, controller, and machine-readable storage medium for verifying controlled devices attached to the controller including one or more of the following: selecting, using a system model that models a system of devices comprising the controlled devices attached to the controller, a grouping of the system of devices to be tested; conducting a test of the grouping to produce a test result for the grouping, wherein conducting the test comprises transmitting a communication to at least one device associated with the grouping; choosing a graphical representation of a portion of the system model from a plurality of graphical representations based on the graphical representation including a representation of the grouping; and displaying, on a user interface, the graphical representation and an indication of the test result.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. ApplicationNumber 17/190,510, filed on Mar. 3, 2021, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Pat. Application Number 63/070,460 filed Aug. 26, 2020, theentire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference hereinfor all purposes.

COPYRIGHT AUTHORIZATION

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to commissioning buildings. Morespecifically, to setting up sensors in a building and understanding therelationships between devices in the building such that the building cancommission itself.

BACKGROUND

Building commissioning is the process of turning on a new building anddetermining that all the systems work as designed. Commissioning iscomplex enough that there are a great deal of resources devoted toit-seminars, conferences, whole careers. Typically, heating,ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems of a building aretested to see if they are wired correctly. These systems may also bebalanced, to check that they run as expected within the buildingstructure. This can be a very time-consuming process, as different areasof the building influence each other. For example, if two sensors in twoclose zones have been mistakenly flipped, the sensor readings may beclose enough to what is assumed to be correct that it is not until thebuilding has already been moved into that the error is noticed, at whichpoint it is very difficult to fix; as the fix may involve tearing outwalls to get to underlying wiring. Generally, there have been studiesexploring the concept of automatic commissioning, however, the methodsused to date have typically required an occupancy-free training period,during which the building is subjected to an artificial test regime,which limits the potential for retro-commissioning, or continuouscommissioning. Being able to prove that a building is commissionedcorrectly is important in getting owners to sign off on construction,can lead to energy savings, and, if done with enough provability, canlead to energy and other sorts of discounts from local and stategovernments, and power companies.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription section. This summary does not identify required oressential features of the claimed subject matter. The innovation isdefined with claims, and to the extent this Summary conflicts with theclaims, the claims should prevail.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems, methods, andcomputer-readable media for automated commissioning of various devices,building portions, sensors, and etc.

In embodiments, a method of commissioning equipment and sensors in aphysical space is disclosed, the method comprising: providing acontroller with computer hardware, and memory in a physical space;providing a device with a device sensor that indicates state of device,the device and the device sensor connected to the controller; providinga space sensor in the physical space, the space sensor indicating stateof the physical space, the state of the physical space operationallyable to be changed by the device, the space sensor connected to thecontroller; providing to the controller expected behavior of the device,device sensor, and space sensor; the controller checking that the deviceis exhibiting expected behavior when turned off; the controller turningthe device on, and then checking that the device sensor indicates thedevice is exhibiting expected behavior when turned on; and thecontroller checking the state of the space sensor in the physical spaceto see if state of the physical space has changed as expected by devicebehavior when turned on.

In embodiments, the controller turns on a second device to check a valuethat is correlated with the expected behavior of the device.

In embodiments, the memory further comprises a wiring protocol for thedevice, and the controller checking that the device is exhibitingexpected behavior when turned on further comprises the controllerunderstanding the wiring protocol of the device, and the controllerchecking that device connection to the controller is following thewiring protocol when turned on.

In embodiments, the controller checks that it can communicate with thespace sensor and the device sensor, and the controller reports an errorwhen a sensor is not communicating with the controller.

In embodiments, the controller reports an error when a sensor is notcommunicating with the controller.

In embodiments, an error reported by the controller is displayed on adisplay device associated with the controller.

In embodiments, the controller reports results on a display deviceassociated with the controller, and wherein the results comprise pass,when expected behavior were produced; there results comprise fail, whenexpected behavior is not produced; and the results comprise check, whenbehavior is unclear and manual interpretation is required.

In embodiments, a controller with connector wires is connected to thedevice and the device sensor, and a controller tests at least oneconnector wire, the controller test comprising a short circuit test, acut wire test, or a proper connection test.

In embodiments, an incentive checker is also included, which checkswhich incentives the physical space qualifies for, based on controllerreporting results.

In embodiments, the incentive checker further determines which powercompany incentives the physical space qualifies for.

In embodiments, the system turns on when pass results meet a threshold.

In embodiments, a model of the physical space is provided within thecontroller that comprises location of the device, device sensor andspace sensor within the physical space, and expected behavior of thedevice, device sensor, and space sensor.

In embodiments, the model of the physical space further providesinformation such that sensors can cross-check each other.

In embodiments, an automated commissioning system for a physical spaceis disclosed with multiple devices comprising: at least one controller,each controller comprising; a processor; a memory in operationalcommunication with the processor; a physical space model, the physicalspace model comprising for each device a least two of: device wiringprotocol; device wiring position in controller; device behavioral data;device error data; nearby sensor values expected in response to devicebehavioral data; and a commissioning engine having instructions whichupon execution by the processor: performs operations that select adevice; checks that the device is wired to a correct position on thecontroller; checks that wires of the device wired to the controllerfollow the device wiring protocol; checks that the controllercontrolling the device cause a correct relationship behavior in a nearbysensor; and documents device behavior.

In embodiments, an incentive checker, is disclosed and wherein theincentive checker further comprises an incentive database, commissioningresults, an incentive display and an incentive deployer.

In embodiments, the incentive checker checks for incentive availablebased on commissioning results.

In embodiments, the physical space model further comprises sensor crosscheck data and wherein the commissioning engine further comprisesperforming cross-checks on at least two sensors.

In embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium configured withinstructions is disclosed which upon execution by one or more processorsperforms an automated commissioning method, the method comprising:providing a controller with computer hardware, and memory in a physicalspace; providing a device with a device sensor that indicates state ofdevice, the device and the device sensor connected to the controller;providing a space sensor in the physical space, the space sensorindicating state of the physical space, the state of the physical spaceoperationally able to be changed by the device, the space sensorconnected to the controller; providing to the controller expectedbehavior of the device, device sensor, and space sensor; the controllerchecking that the device is exhibiting expected behavior when turnedoff; the controller turning the device on, and then checking that thedevice sensor indicates the device is exhibiting expected behavior whenturned on; and the controller checking the state of the space sensor inthe physical space to see if state of the physical space has changed asexpected by device behavior when turned on.

In embodiments, results of the commissioning is reported.

In embodiments, an automated commissioning system for a physical spacewith multiple devices is disclosed, comprising: at least one controller,each controller comprising; a processor; a memory in operationalcommunication with the processor; a physical space model, the physicalspace model comprising for each device a least two of: device wiringprotocol; device wiring position in controller; device behavioral data;device error data; nearby sensor values expected in response to devicebehavioral data; a commissioning engine having instructions which uponexecution by the processor: performs operations that select a device;checks that the device is wired to a correct position on the controller;checks that wires of the device wired to the controller follow thedevice wiring protocol; checks that the controller controlling thedevice cause a correct relationship behavior in nearby sensor(s); anddocument device behavior.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an exemplary embodiment ofa controller in a physical space in conjunction with which any of thedescribed embodiments can be implemented.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary flowchart of a commissioning process inconjunction with which some described embodiments can be implemented.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary block diagram that describes some features of aphysical space model.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram that describes device-controllerinteraction.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram showing connections between adevice/sensor and a controller.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating some features ofcommissioning.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram that describes device-controllerinteraction.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram of a simplified location.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating some features of runningthe sensor commissioning process.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating some features ofrunning the equipment commissioning process.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating some features ofrunning the zone commissioning process.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating some features ofhandling errors that occur in some implementations of the commissioningprocess.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating some more features ofhandling errors that occur in some implementations of the commissioningprocess.

FIG. 14 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating some analysis featuresavailable in some implementations of the commissioning process.

FIG. 15 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating some more analysisfeatures available in some implementations of the commissioning process.

FIG. 16 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating some reporting featuresavailable in some implementations of the commissioning process.

FIG. 17 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating some incentive featuresavailable in some implementations of the commissioning process.

FIG. 18 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating applying for incentivesavailable in some implementations of the commissioning process.

FIG. 19 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating some incentivechecker features.

FIG. 20 is a functional block diagram showing an exemplary embodiment ofa controller in a physical space in conjunction with which any of thedescribed embodiments can be implemented.

FIG. 21 is an exemplary flowchart of a commissioning process inconjunction with which some described embodiments can be implemented.

FIG. 22 is an exemplary screen shot illustrating some layout featuresavailable in some implementations of the commissioning process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed below are representative embodiments of methods,computer-readable media, and systems having particular applicability toautomated commissioning. Described embodiments implement one or more ofthe described technologies.

Various alternatives to the implementations described herein arepossible. For example, embodiments described with reference to flowchartdiagrams can be altered, such as, for example, by changing the orderingof stages shown in the flowcharts, or by repeating or omitting certainstages.

I. Overview

When originally building a structure, the creation process can includedesigning the structure and designing and implementing the controllers;teaching the controllers about the devices that will be attached tothem; and attaching the building devices to the controllers, such thatthe building itself understands what is necessary for the commissionprocess. The commissioning process then can be done automatically andsystematically. As the process is largely automatic, a full history ofthe commissioning can be created, including a history of each individualdevice. Once a building has been commissioned, it can be validated suchthat the quality of commissioning can be shown to outside entities, suchas power companies and governmental entities. Such structures can thenprove that they can qualify for various incentives.

The technical character of embodiments described herein will be apparentto one of ordinary skill in the art, and will also be apparent inseveral ways to a wide range of attentive readers. Some embodimentsaddress technical activities that are rooted in computing technology,such as more quickly and efficiently running automated commissioningsystems. This is useful as the commissioning process takes much lesstime; there is a record of what devices have been commissioned, whenthey were last commissioned, and what the results were. This historicalinformation is invaluable when recommissioning a building, as thepreviously used pieces of paper may have been lost, the engineers whopreviously commissioned the space may have changed jobs, etc. Further,when a single device is added and must be commissioned, it can easily bedone without closing down the entire building. Other advantages based onthe technical characteristics of the teachings will also be apparent toone of skill from the description provided.

FIG. 1 illustrates aspects of a system architecture 100 which issuitable for use with any of the commissioning embodiments describedherein. The system comprises a physical space 105. A “physical space”should be defined generously. It may refer to a single building, acollection of related buildings, buildings and space around them, anoutside space such as a garden with irrigation, a portion of a building,such as a floor, a zone, a room, several rooms, etc. The physical spacehas at least one controller, and maybe many more, deployed within it.The controller(s) comprise computer hardware 115, and memory 120. Ifthere are multiple controllers, they may be connected using a wirednetwork, a wireless network, or a combination. The multiple controllersmay run computer programs using a distributed computing system. Thisdistributed computing system may comprise multiple controllers. Thecontrollers may be able to choose a master controller by themselves. Ifthe master controller has problems, such as networking problems, theremaining controllers may be able to choose another master controller.The master controller may be able to chunk programs and distribute themto the other controllers.

The memory 120 can be any appropriate volatile or non-volatile storagesubsystem. For example, the memory may be partially or wholly external,may be volatile memory, e.g., static memory cells, as in FPGAs and someCPLDs; or non-volatile memory, e.g., FLASH memory, as in some CPLDs, orin any other appropriate type of memory cell. The memory itself may havewithin it a model of the physical space 130. This physical space modelmay be a digital twin, in that the model understands the physical spaceat a deep level; understanding, for example, the physics of thestructure itself, so that it understands how state, such as temperature,diffuses through the structure. It may also understand the locationwithin the physical structure of devices that change state (such as HVACequipment, lighting, security equipment, etc.) and the nature of thedevices at a physics level, such that the projected interaction betweenthe physical space and devices is understood. For example, when a heateris turned on, the physical space model may understand how quickly theheater should heat up, how the heat moves through the building, how theheat from the heater should affect sensors in the physical space, etc.

Storage 165 may also be included. The storage 165 may be removable ornon-removable, and includes magnetic disks, magnetic tapes or cassettes,CD-ROMs, CD-RWs, DVDs, flash drives, or any other medium which can beused to store information and which can be accessed within the computingenvironment 100. The storage 165 stores instructions for the software185 to implement methods used for automatic commissioning.

At least one of the controller(s) has an input/output device 155. Theinput/output device 155 is any sort known to those of skill in the artthat allows human/computer interaction to occur, such as somecombination of a computer screen, a printer, a touchscreen, a mouse, ascreen, a keyboard, a printer, etc. The computer controller may alsohave one or more communication connections 160. These communicationconnections may be wired networks, wireless networks, and other types ofcommunication connections as known by those of skill in the art.

A controller also has a number of devices 135, 150 associated with it.These devices may be any sort of device that can connect to a controllerin a building, as known to those of skill in the art. These may includeHVAC equipment, security equipment, entertainment equipment, irrigationequipment, printers, and so on. These devices may pass information froma specific device to the controller and may pass information from thecontroller to the device. For example, a controller could tell a deviceto turn on, the device could send the controller error messages, etc.Some devices pass controllers complex information sets about theirinternal state, etc.

The controller also has a number of sensors associated with it, such asdevice sensors 140, which may pass information from a specific device tothe controller and may pass information from the controller to thedevice. For example, a controller could tell a device sensor to turn on,the sensor device could send the controller messages about the state ofthe sensor associated with the device, etc. Some device sensors passcontrollers complex information sets about their internal state, etc.Space sensors 145 may also be associated with the controller. These,generally, give information about state of the physical space, or someportion of the physical space. They may also accept information from thecontroller, and pass information to the controller. In some embodiments,the controller can tell whether the space sensor is working as expectedby reading the information the space sensor is sending. In someembodiments, the controller can look at the sensors around a specificsensor and see if the values being sent by a sensor are in line withother sensors. In some embodiments, the controller can tell if the spacesensor can turn on and off correctly, send information signals correctlyetc. Example of state that state sensors may read include temperature,humidity, noise levels, air flow noise levels, lighting levels,entertainment noise levels, CO2, VOC, and so on. Some of these devicesand sensors may be connected by being physically wired to the controller110, others may be connected by an interface network connection, e.g.,160. This network connection may be a wired connection, such as anethernet connection, or may be a wireless connection. The controller maybe able to determine if the space sensor is wired correctly to thecontroller.

Computer-readable storage media 170 — any available non-transienttangible media that can be accessed within a computing environment — mayalso be included. Computer readable storage media 170 may compriseinstructions 175 and data 180. Data Sources to provide data may becomputing devices, such as a general hardware platform serversconfigured to receive and transmit information over communicationsconnections 160.

II. Exemplary Method for Commissioning a Physical Space Automatically

FIG. 2 illustrates some method embodiments in a general flowchart 200.Technical methods shown in the Figures or otherwise disclosed will beperformed automatically, e.g., by computer programs 125, unlessotherwise indicated. Methods may also be performed in part automaticallyand in part manually to the extent action by a person may be involved,e.g., a person may command that a commissioning process is initiated. Nomethod contemplated as innovative herein is entirely manual. In a givenembodiment zero or more illustrated steps of a method may be repeated,perhaps with different devices or models to operate on. Operations in anembodiment may also be done in a different order than the top-to-bottomorder that is laid out in FIG. 2 . Operations may be performed serially,in a partially overlapping manner, or fully in parallel. The order inwhich flowchart 200 is traversed to indicate the operations performedduring a method may vary from one performance of the method to anotherperformance of the method. The flowchart traversal order may also varyfrom one method embodiment to another method embodiment. Operations maybe performed in parallel, serially, or in a partially overlappingmanner. Operations may also be combined, omitted, renamed, regrouped, orotherwise depart from the illustrated flows, provided that the processperformed is operable and conforms to at least one claim.

At operation 205, a controller is provided. In some embodiments, thismay represent multiple controllers. In some embodiments, at operation210, multiple devices are provided. In some embodiments, the multipledevices are connected to the controller that is provided in operation205 or to a different controller in the physical space 105. Thecontroller(s) may control multiple devices. When controlling a device,the controller can, e.g., depending on the device and the controller,turn the devices on, turn the devices off, check that the signals comingfrom the device in various states is as expected, etc. Examples includethe controller signaling a device to enter a certain state (e.g., on,off). The controller may then check to ensure that the device isbehaving as expected. For example, the device wires should have certainsignals (or lack any signal) when turned off. When the controller turnsthe device on, other signals may be expected on the wires. Devices mayhave intermediate states that can be set by the controller, as well.

At operation 215 a device sensor is provided. The controller may also beconnected to one or more device sensors that provide information about adevice. For example, a controller could tell a hot water heater to turnon high. After a given amount of time, the water in the water heatershould have reached some temperature value. A device sensor associatedwith the hot water heater may be able to communicate the watertemperature to the controller 110. The controller may know how hot thewater should be if the device has been turned on for a specific amountof time at a specific setting. The device sensor can help the controllerverify or falsify that the device is behaving as expected.

At operation 220 a space sensor is provided. The controller may alsocontrol at least one space sensor 145, within the physical space 105. Aspace sensor 145 may be used to measure the state of the physical space.Common space sensors include temperature sensors, humidity sensors, VOCsensors, noise sensors, water sensors, etc., as discussed above.

At operation 225 a model of the physical space 105 may be provided. FIG.4 is a diagram 400 showing a relationship between a controller 405 andan I/O device 410. Portions of a physical space model may be input intothe controller using an I/O device 410. This input device may be anyinput device as known to those of skill in the art. For example, theinput device may be a keyboard and/or a mouse which allows a user toinput specifications of the physical space, a three dimensional scannerthat scans the space and then inputs it directly into the controller, adigital camera that scans the space, determines the coordinates and theninputs those into the controller. The input device may be a scanner thatscans blueprints, or a wired or wireless connection that sends the modelof the physical space in a computer-readable form. This information maybe sent to the controller using an optical device, a thumb drive, oranother type of device that connects directly or indirectly to thecontroller.

At operation 245 a model of device interconnections is provided. In someembodiments, the controller(s) check if a device is behaving as expectedwhen the device is turned off. The controller memory may haveinformation about expected device behavior in various states; thisinformation may be in a model of device interconnections, or in anotherlocation. Among other benefits, this checks if the correct wires arewired to the correct controller connectors.

In some embodiments, the controllers turn a device on 235, using itsconnection with the controller. The controller may then check if thedevice is behaving as expected. For example, a device should beproducing 10V of output along a specific wire when turned on. Thecontroller(s) then can check that the appropriate voltage is on a givenwire, as well as much other information associated with thedevice-controller connection.

In some embodiments, once a device is turned on, a device sensorassociated with the device may also be turned on, or if previouslyturned on, then checked for its state. If a device is behaving asexpected, the device state sensor should be at some value, or withinsome value range. If the device sensor is not within this range, it mayindicate a problem with either the device or the device sensor.

In some embodiments, a space sensor is checked to see if it is behavingas expected 240. Space sensors may be checked against the values ofother, e.g., nearby space sensors; space sensors may be checked againstthe behavior of devices that would affect state around the space sensor;if values are not as expected, then there may be problems with the spacesensor, the space itself (which may have an undisclosed flaw), a device,which may not be changing state of the space sufficiently, etc.

In some embodiments, devices have specific requirements for validation.For example, an HVAC system may have air flow validation requirements,filter leak tests, particle counts, and the like. Device sensors orspecific state change devices can be placed during construction thatallow interaction between the device and the sensor to validate thedevice. For example, some devices for validation require humidity to bereduced within a certain time. A humidifier can be built initially intothe building that then can be used to raise humidity to a high enoughlevel that the humidity-reducing device (such as an air conditioner) canbe validated.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram 300 that discloses aspects of a physical spacemodel. A physical space model 305 (which may be stored in memory 120),comprises, for device(s) and sensor(s), expected behavior of the deviceor sensor 310, location of the device or sensor 315, and wiringprotocol/expected wiring behavior for the device or sensor 320. Devicesmay have their own validation requirements 325; tests that should be runsuccessfully to officially validate the device. When determining ifdevices are behaving as expected 230, 235, 240, specific validationtests may be used. When such tests are used, appropriate sensors to testthe devices may be incorporated into the initial building design.Correlated behavior 330 between different devices and sensors may alsobe included. This comprises, for example, sensors that can cross-checkeach other, sensors whose values should correlate with equipmentfunction, and so on.

Expected behavior comprises (if applicable) at least some of the signalsthat the device is expected to send to the controller to indicatefunctions of the device, current and voltage on the wire connection orconnections, signals that the device is expected to send back to thecontroller when the controller sends signals, current and voltage on thewire(s) associated with the device when the device is turned off,current and voltage on the wire(s) associated with the device when thedevice is turned on, current and voltage on the wire(s) associated withthe device when the device is in various states, the protocol the deviceis expected to follow for sending messages, etc.

With reference to FIG. 5 , in an exemplary embodiment with a one wiredevice and a one wire sensor, the controller 505 is wired 515, 520 tothe device and the sensors 510. Because the physical model understandswhere each device and sensor is located, what wiring protocols eachdevice and sensor follow and where each should be wired in thecontroller, the controller can, for a device or a sensor, using softwarestored within the controller or elsewhere, look at the wiring connectionbetween it and the device and see if it is getting the appropriatesignal for each of the wires when the device or sensor is turned off oron. Because the controller understands the signals it should be gettingfor each wire, in some instances, two devices with the same signal set),if the controller is getting the signals on wire 515 that it expects on520, it can determine that the wires have been switched. In someembodiments, the controller also understands the set of signals that thedevice sends for various states, such as error states, and understandswhat signals the device understands. These are stored in memory 120 inthe controller 110 or within another controller that is part of the samedistributed system as this controller 110, or within a database that thecontroller 110 can access through a network connection (not shown) orthe input/output device 155, etc.

In some embodiments, the controller can check that it can communicatewith the devices (such as sensors) that it is connected to. Thecontroller can then report an error when it finds that a device is notcommunicating with the controller. The controller can send a signal to adevice from the device’s wiring pin (or pins) and then see what signalit receives back from the device (or device). If it receives the correctsignal, then the controller can communicate with the device. In someinstances, if the controller receives an incorrect signal or no signalat all, then the controller cannot communicate with the device(s). Insuch a case, the controller may report this communication error.

In some embodiments, the controller can also perform, for a connectorwire, some combination of: a short circuit test, a cut wire test (alsoknown as an open circuit test) or a proper connection test. Thecontroller 110 comprises a computer program 125 stored in memory 120 andhardware 115 to be able to run the program 125 and perform such testswhen a device or sensor is wired to one or more of its connectors.

The controller can determine the current and voltage that the wires areexpressing, and can also determine the appropriate current and voltagefor the wires associated with a device or sensor. If there is an errorin any of these, the controller can indicate that an error has occurred.This indication may comprise writing to a file, displaying that an errorhas occurred on a display device, printing a report, making a noise, orany other error indication as known by those of skill in the art.

As the controller controls the devices and sensors, the controller canturn each device and sensor on. Once turned on, the controller candetermine that the wiring connection is behaving as expected 515, 520when turned on, which may entail giving the correct signal/voltage andcurrent. If there is an error in any of these, the controller canindicate that an error has occurred. This indication may comprisewriting to a file, displaying that an error has occurred on a displaydevice, printing a report, making a noise, or any other error indicationas known by those of skill in the art. In some embodiment, the errorsthe controller finds are reported on a display device.

With reference to FIG. 6 , an illustrative embodiment of an automaticcommissioning progress report screen 600 is disclosed. This screen maybe shown on a display device associated with the controller.

In some embodiments, the groupings of objects in the physical space thatmeet certain criteria are shown. Some possible groupings are subsystems605, zones 610, equipment 615, and sensors 620. Subsystems may be largegroupings, such as floors in a building. Zones may have smallergroupings within the subsystem such as portions of a floor of abuilding, e.g., living room, kitchen, laundry, etc. Equipment may bedevices controllable by the subsystem that are not sensors. Othergroupings are possible as well.

In some embodiments, the display changes as portions of the systemrecord their commission results. When a sensor, equipment, zone, orsubsystem is tested, its results are displayed as either pass 625, check630, or fail 635. Pass 625 is indicated where expected behavior wasproduced. For example, the results could reach a threshold value, suchas a numerical value, a percent of a maximum or minimum value, and soon. Pass results, such at the threshold value, may be set by a user, acommissioning standard, a default equipment pass threshold value, etc.Fail 635 is indicated when expected behavior is not produced. Check 630is indicated when the behavior of the device is unclear and manualinterpretation is required. As an example, when testing that anequipment subsystem (e.g., a boiler) can heat its connected zones, thecontroller may enable the boiler and then check that the temperature onthe boiler output (which may be a sensor) increases properly.Corresponding zones to the boiler are expected to see an increase intemperature. If insufficient temperature increase in the sensors ofthese corresponding zones is recorded, then the results may comprise“check” or “fail”. If the controller does not detect enough of anincrease in the corresponding zones the results are ambiguous and willrequire human intervention. In embodiments, devices that are near eachother, connect to each other, or both may perform cross checkvalidation. For example temperature sensors in adjoining areas shouldhave temperature values that are within a range of each other. If onesensor value is off by a certain amount, that sensor may failcommissioning. If there are correct relationship behaviors between thesensors then the sensor may pass. If there is a correct relationshipbetween a device and nearby sensors, then the sensor may pass. Manydevices have correlated behavior, and as such may be cross-checkedagainst each other.

Once the physical space has passed commissioning, in some embodiments,the building may be turned on to run in its normal fashion by selectinga “deploy” button 640.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram 700 that describes device-controllerinteraction. In some embodiments, when a device (or a sensor) 710 iswired to a controller 705 with multiple wires 715, 720, because thecontroller understands the signals and current/voltage that are expectedto be received on the wires, the commissioning process can determinewhen the wiring has been swapped, that is, device wire A was expected tobe wired to controller wire A but instead has been wired to controllerwire pin B, and vice versa. This also works for devices with more wires.In some embodiments, the controller can determine when a device A atwire A has instead been wired to controller location C. In someembodiments, when a device A is expected to be wired to locations a, b,and c, but is wired elsewhere within the controller, the commissioningprocess will detect this and determine the correct location for thedevice.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram 800 of a simplified model of a physicalspace. In some embodiments, the controller can use sensors tocross-check themselves. This simplified physical space model 800comprises the location of multiple sensors 835, 845, 850 and a heater840 within a building portion that has multiple zones 815, 820, 825,830. Walls 810, windows 855, and other features (not shown) are includedin the model of the physical space that affect the way state, such astemperature, moves through the physical space. The physical space neuralnetwork may know where physical features like walls 810 and windows 855are, and as such understands how far apart the various devices are fromeach other. The physical space neural network may understand thephysical coordinates of devices, such as heaters, 840, such that theneural network understand how heat (or other state) is transportedthroughout the physical space, including through such features as wallsand ceilings. Thus, when a heater 840 is on, a sensor 835 that is somenumber of feet away from the heater should register a value within acertain range, or there is a problem with the heater, the sensor, or thephysical space configuration. Another sensor 845 some number of feetaway with a wall between the heater 840 and the sensor 835, shouldregister a temperature within a certain number of degrees from sensors835 and 850. If sensor 835 reports the expected change in temperaturewhen the heater is turned on, but sensor 850 does not, then oneassumption that might be made is that sensor 850 is not workingcorrectly, but sensor 835 and the heater are. If another sensor 845records temperature in a different location that reflects the expectedvalue when taking into account the distance from the heater, and thewalls, etc. between them, then sensor 850 shows a good chance of havinga flaw. In this way, sensors 835, 845, and 850 can perform cross-checkson each other. Other equipment within a physical structure can performsimilar cross-checks.

Sensors can also be used to check that devices are properlycommissioned. For example, a device, such as a heater 840 may be near asensor 860 that reports on the state of the device. The plans for thesesensors that help with commissioning may be put in at the design state,and then built such that the physical space can commission itself, asthe sensor 860 will report if a device, e.g., heater 840 is operatingcorrectly. These sensors may also help ensure that devices are runningproperly throughout the lifetime of the physical space. When a device isbeing commissioned, the controller may turn on the device for a certaintime at a certain speed (if applicable) and then check the associatedsensor. If the sensor changes state appropriately, then the device mayhave passed at least one test towards full commissioning. The device mayaffect multiple sensors, each of which may be checked by the controller.If the physical space uses multiple controllers, they may be connectedusing a distributed system, and so may be able to communicate such thatsensors and devices wired to different controllers can automatically beused in the commissioning process.

Controllers also have access to databases of the physical space suchthat they can check that sensors in the space record the correctinformation for device activity, and sensors can cross-check each otherfor consistency.

With reference to FIG. 9 , an exemplary embodiment commissioning screen900 is shown. In some embodiments, as sections of the physical space arecommissioned, those sections may be displayed on a panel 930 on theprogress report. These may be displayed such that the section of thephysical space 915 (e.g., sensors, equipment, zones, subsystems) that isbeing commissioned is displayed have the portions that have passed,failed, or fall into the check category show up differentiated in somefashion, such as in different colors. An exemplary screenshot of such adisplay is shown. In it, a subsystem that is being commissioned isdisplayed.

In some embodiments, a list of the components (e.g., resources, sensors,devices) that are being commissioned is displayed, e.g., sequentially,with an icon 910 indicating that the component is being currentlycommissioned (e.g., as shown with reference to FIG. 2 ), along with thename of the component, e.g. temperature sensor 920. In this screenshot,automatic commissioning of the sensors (devices) on a floor 2 935 of abuilding is shown. Sensors that are to be commissioned are displayed ona panel 925. The portion of the building (in this case, the Floor 2),may be marked 930 (in this case with a star) in a panel. That portion ofthe building may be displayed 935 on the screen along with icons of theobjects (device, sensor) being commissioned. Object names may bedisplayed in a panel 925; a mark is shown in the panel when the sensoris being automatically commissioned (in this case, a dashed-line circleindicting that a humidity sensor is being commissioned) 910. Anothermark is shown (in this case, a check) when the sensor has beensuccessfully commissioned 920. In some embodiments, duringcommissioning, the representation of the object being commissioned maybe highlighted on the screen, e.g., 940, the humidity sensor icon thatis currently being commissioned. The area of the building beingautomatically commissioned is shown in the right panel 935. The physicalspace model may be decided hierarchically, with each hierarchy step fromlowest to highest, commissioned in turn. In the illustrative example,the hierarchical elements are shown in the far-left panel 915 frombottom to top, with the bottom sensors 940, being the lowest of thehierarchy and the first to be commissioned. Equipment 945 is at the samelevel or next level of hierarchy, then 950 zones are a step up inhierarchy, with subsystems 955 being the top of the hierarchy. Sensorsare first checked, then the equipment, then zones, then subsystems.Other orders of commissioning are also within the scope of thisdisclosure.

With reference to FIG. 10 , an exemplary screenshot 1000 of equipmentcontrol loops being commissioned is shown. The equipment control loopsare shown in the right panel 1010. The names of individual pieces ofequipment 1005 in the control loops are shown in a panel 1015. Thispanel 1015 also shows whether or not a piece of equipment has beencommissioned; here the same checks are used as seen in FIG. 9 , thoughother methods are also envisioned. Whether a piece of equipment is on oroff is also noted 1030. The far left panel 1020 shows progress of theautomatic commissioning. In this snapshot 1025 47% of the equipment hasbeen commissioned; 9 have passed, 0 checked, and 0 failed.

With reference to FIG. 11 , an exemplary embodiment screenshot 1100shows zones of the building being commissioned. In this instance, thefloor the zones are on are displayed in the right panel 1110. The zoneitself being commissioned is shown in a middle panel 115. As the zonesare commissioned, a mark is displayed 1120 in the middle panel 1115indicating that commissioning is currently occurring. In thisillustrative example, a spinning circle indicates current commissioning,but other marks are envisioned. As the zones are commissioned, they aredisplayed (with a check, by changing color, intensity of color, or byanother method) in the middle panel 1115. In zone 2, an error has beenfound, which is indicated by a distinctive mark 1105, in thisillustrative example, an explanation point.

With reference to FIG. 12 , an exemplary embodiment commissioningscreenshot 1200 is shown. In an embodiment, when an error is discovered,the commissioning screen provides information about that specific error.The overall location of the error many be indicated with a distinctivemark indicating what larger hierarchical grouping the error has occurredin. In the instant example, four major groupings 1245, Outdoor, Floor 1,Floor 2, Floor 3. “Floor 3” 1235 has an indication (!) that there is acommissioning error on this floor. “Outdoor” 1240 has an indiction (✔,in the instant case) showing that this grouping has passedcommissioning. Selecting a device 1205 with an indicated error 1210brings up a screen 1215 that tells more information 1220 about thedevice 1205, such as name, the kind of device, the interface, themanufacturer, the mode, etc. Drop-down menus are also included in theillustrative example 1215. In the described embodiment, the options are“Manual Mode” 1225, “Analysis” 1230 , “Analysis Details,” and“Commissioning History”.

FIG. 13 discloses an exemplary commissioning screenshot 1300 with acommissioning report drawer open to display manual mode 1305. Oncechosen, the user can manually choose 1310 to pass the device in question(here a humidity sensor 1320), fail the device, or defer until a latertime. If the device is manually passed, (by, e.g., selecting the passbutton) the automatic commissioning system will pass the device in thatit will consider the device correctly commissioned with no furtheraction. If the device is failed, the automatic commissioner willconsider the device to have failed the automatic commissioning until theuser passes it using this screen, or the device is automaticallycommissioned again and passes, or until another action happens. If thedevice is deferred, the device will remain in its current state. A usercan add notes 1315, which, in some embodiments, will become part of thepermanent record. This allows users at a later date to have a fullrecord at their fingertips of the building behavior down to specifics ofcommissioning of each device since installation.

FIG. 14 discloses a commissioning screenshot 1400 with a commissioningreport drawer open to display analysis. When a device has acommissioning challenge, there are many resources to help determine whatthe matter might be. Opening the drawer “Analysis” 1405 opens theanalysis window 1410. It shows, for the chosen device (in this case, aCO₂ sensor 1415), the certainty that the commissioning is accurate 1420(which is a record of how close the device results were to presumedperfect results), and a pictorial representation indicating moredetails, such as, if there were errors recorded, what percentage of thetime the error(s) occurred, where the errors occurred, etc. This may bea statistical graph or a statistical reason, or may be derived fromartificial intelligence means, from observed data, or some combinationof the above, or in a different way. Devices may have components. Insome implementations, the components of the device, and the percentageof those components that passed are shown. These may be shown by openinga further drawer, or using some other method. Similar details may beshown about the components that are shown about the device.

FIG. 15 discloses a screenshot 1500 with analysis details of the CO 2device at 1505. Why a specific device failed may involve determiningwhich specific portion of the device failed. This may be able to bedetermined by looking at provided analysis details. The illustrativescreenshot 1500 shown in FIG. 15 discloses analysis details 1510 fromthe analysis drawer 1425. The components that are tested to commissiondevice, and the percentage of those components that passed are shown.“Passing” may be a statistical function, an artificial intelligencecalculation, may use historical data, or may use some combination of allof these to determine passing and failing. The data may be representedgraphically, may be in text, may be in pictures, or may be somecombination of the above. Knowing which portions are not “passing,”e.g., not giving expected results, can show what specific parts of astructure may be behaving incorrectly. This may allow those portions tobe honed in on to determine where difficulties are, and how much thatdifficulty determines the specific device has failed to pass.

FIG. 16 discloses a screenshot 1600 of a commissioning history 1605 of adevice, e.g., a CO₂ sensor. In some embodiments a history of everycommissioning event that happens since installation may be kept. Thesystem may maintain an event log, may save snapshots, may save certaintypes of data, may sample data at certain times or for certain actions,etc. Reports may be available to help to understand the history of adevice. In the illustrative example 1610, the information shown is ahistory of commissioning runs, a name of the person who, e.g. requestedthe commissioning run, and notes that can be written by a user. Otherimplementations may have other information stored.

FIG. 17 discloses an exemplary screenshot 1700 for an an incentivechecker. In embodiments, when a building has successfully beencommissioned, the system may determine what type of incentives fromgovernment entities, utilities, etc., for which a building may beeligible. At 1705, the types of validation that a building has passedare shown. In this exemplary embodiment, it is shown that the buildinghas been validated, the system has been validated, the wiring has beenvalidated, the system commissioned, and the system deployed. The paneshown at 1710 displays incentives that this space is qualified for, andthe organization that may give the incentives 1715.

FIG. 18 discloses one method that may be used in some embodiments toapply for the incentives that are discovered. An “apply” button 1805 canbe selected to apply for those incentives 1710.

With reference to FIG. 19 , a block diagram is shown that disclosesaspects of an incentive checker 1900. At 1905, an incentive database maybe used to keep track of incentives that are available for the physicalspace. These incentives may be uploaded automatically into the databasefrom participating organizations, may be hand-input, may be placed inusing a combination of automatic and hand input, or may be placed inusing another method. The commissioning results 1910 are compared withthe requirements for the incentives in the incentive database 1905.Those incentives that are found that meet the requirements are thendisplayed on an I/O device (e.g., 155) using an incentive display 1915Screenshot 1700 discloses an illustrative example of such a display1705. The entity offering the incentives, and contact info is shown(e.g., Pacific Gas and Power Company), as well as the specificincentives that the physical space is qualified for, the name of theincentive, and the amount that the incentive is worth 1710. At 1920, anincentive deployer is disclosed. This, in combination with the incentivedatabase 1905 has the ability to apply for the incentives that thephysical space is eligible for. It may do this by filling out formsusing information gleaned from the automatic commissioning, andinformation about the specifics of applying for the incentives. It maycreate paperwork, and/ or send the paperwork to the appropriatelocation. An example of applying for incentives is shown in screenshot1800. In this illustrative example, a user checks “I consent to sharingperformance data with my utility,” and then is able to select an “apply”button 1805.

III. Exemplary System for Commissioning a Physical Space Automatically

FIG. 20 depicts one topology 2000 for commissioning a spaceautomatically. In some embodiments, one or more controllers comprise oneor more memories 2010 and one or more processors 2015. For simplicity, asingle controller is shown. The controller(s) 2005 comprises a physicalspace model 2020, in some instances stored in memory 2010, whichcomprises a digital model of the physical space that is to becommissioned. Within this physical space model, there may be a model ofa device 2025. This device model may be stored in memory 2010. In someembodiments, the device model is stored outside the physical spacemodel. The device model 2025 may comprise a device wiring protocol 2030,device behavioral data 2035, device error data 2040, and pastcommissioning data 2045. Device wiring protocol 2030 indicates theprotocol the device uses; specific device behavioral data 2035 indicatesspecific data associated with the device that may be useful duringcommissioning, and device error data indicates error messages that thedevice may send through its wiring. These categories may or may notoverlap.

A building is often commissioned prior to its first opening, and thencommissioned every three to five years after that. Some innovativeembodiments, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 9-18 , keep track ofprevious commissioning information 2045, such as previous commissioningdone using the illustrated examples shown herein, includinghuman-written notes from previous commissioning incidents stored withinthe system, such as those shown in FIG. 13 at 1315. The previouscommissioning information is available when needed, such as when abuilding is commissioned again. Specific validation tests 2050 forcertain devices may be included. These validation tests may involvecertain other device operations 2055, such as a specific device beingturned on and checked, and certain sensors being checked, and what theirvalues should be 2060. For example, a smoke machine (a device) may beused for a certain amount of time, then after a second period of time asensor at a certain location with the capability to check indoor airquality checks if the appropriate value is being recorded at the sensor.For another example, commissioning may require that a certain amount ofhumidity should be removed from the air within a given period of time.This may require both a vent be opened (a first device) and an airconditioner or other dehumidifier be turned on (a second device).Sensors may be built into a building to allow automatic commissioning tooccur. For example, a sensor that monitors humidity may also need to bechecked for within some range of a given value after a period of time.Other validation tests may require multiple sensors being checked, or itmay require checking multiple functions of a multiple function sensor,such as, for example, indoor air quality and CO₂ concentration.

In some embodiments, commissioning engine 2065 runs the commissioningsoftware using the processor 2015. In some embodiments, the running ofthe commissioning engine is divided over multiple processors running adistributed system.

The device is expected to be wired to the controller at a specificposition. If the device has multiple wires, each wire has its ownlocation, its own protocol, etc. In some embodiments, this device wiringposition information is stored with relationship to the controlleritself. FIG. 22 gives an example of an embodiment with which specificdevices can be designated to be wired to specific controller locations.

IV. Exemplary Method for Commissioning a Physical Space Automatically

FIG. 21 illustrates a method 2100 for automatically commissioning aphysical space. The operations of method 2100 presented below areintended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, method 2100 may beaccomplished with one or more additional operations not described,and/or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally,the order in which the operations of method 2100 are illustrated in FIG.21 and described below is not intended to be limiting.

In some embodiments, method 2100 may be implemented in one or moreprocessing devices (e.g., multiple processors running in a distributedsystem with multiple controllers, a digital processor, an analogprocessor, a digital circuit designed to process information, an analogcircuit designed to process information, a state machine, and/or othermechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices executing some or allof the operations of method 2100 in response to instructions storedelectronically on an electronic storage medium. The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices configured throughhardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed forexecution of one or more of the operations of method 2100.

At operation 2105, a device in the physical space that is to becommissioned is selected, e.g., by the commissioning engine. Thephysical space model (or a different location in memory) may have, inmemory 2010, a model of the devices to be commissioned.

At operation 2110 the, e.g., commissioning engine 2065 checks that thedevice is wired to the correct position on the controller. FIG. 22 andthe surrounding text gives an example of a screenshot associated with acontroller that may be used to determine where a device should be wiredon a controller.

At operation 2115, the device wires are checked to see if they followthe correct protocol. The correct protocol can be found, e.g., in adevice wiring protocol 2030 database location stored with the devicemodel 2025. There may also be a separate device wiring position 2070, orthose may be included in the device wiring protocol. The informationabout the device may be already understood by the controller, and storedin a database, the information about the device protocol may be input bya user, such that the controller has access to it, or a combination ofthe two may be used.

At operation 2125, the sensors are checked to see if they are exhibitingexpected behaviors, depending on device state. As discussed withrelation to nearby sensor values 2060, to determine if a device isoperating appropriately, a sensor may need to be checked. For example,to check if an air conditioner is working appropriately, a nearby sensorthat checks temperature needs to be identified, or may already beidentified. The temperature on the sensor then needs to be checked; theair conditioner needs to be turned on for a certain time by thecontroller using the air conditioner protocol stored in memory in thecontroller (or a controller within a distributed controller system);then the sensor needs to be checked again to see if the temperature haschanged by the desired amount. If it has, the device passes thecommissioning, if the temperature has not decreased by the requiredamount, then the device has either failed, or needs checking.

At operation 2130, device behavior is documented and stored such that itcan be retrieved. This documentation is such that it can be retrievedwhen desired. This may be stored by methods known to those of skill inthe art.

At operation 2135, it is determined if there are more devices to bechecked. If so, then the method continues from operation 2105, until thedevices that are to be commissioned are checked.

FIG. 22 illustrates aspects of a system architecture which is suitablefor use with any of the commissioning embodiments described herein. Theillustrative screenshot embodiment 2200 allows a user to view or specifythe expected device layout of a controller. A controller is wired to adevice through a controller connector, a module connector that itselfconnects to a controller, etc. In this example, a controller connectoris shown at 2220. This controller connector is attached to a moduleconnector 2205. Modules 2215 are indicated on the screen using grouped,numbered 2235 module connectors 2205. This module 2215 has six moduleconnectors that will connect to devices. This controller represented inscreen 2200 has eight potential module locations, one of which arecurrently empty. Other numbers of modules in a controller, and deviceconnectors in a module are also within the scope of this disclosure.

The specific devices that are to be wired to the controller are shown asdevice icons attached to their respective module connectors. At 2210,for example, we can see that the device is a Three Way Valve, with a24VAC (3-wire) protocol. It is attached to module 1 2225. It has threewires, which are of type (-), (O), and (C) from left to right, and whichare in three distinct locations on the controller. When, for example, adevice wire is wired to the lower left connection 2230 of thecontroller, the controller knows that it is to be a wire on a Three-WayValve, with protocol 24VAC (3-WIRE) and the specific wire is to be oftype (-). Using this information, the controller can see whatinformation is on the wire when connected, what signals the wireaccepts, and what signals the wire is expected to return, etc. When thewire is connected to the controller, the controller understands what todo to test if the correct wire has been connected to that directcontroller location. If wires have been swapped on a device (forexample, the (-) and (O) wires are swapped such that the (O) wire is inthe far lower left position 2230, the controller may be able todetermine this, as it has the information about what signals can beexpected to be sent and received on the wires. If the correct wire hasbeen connected, then the controller may send a message to the module(through the module connecter and the circuit board) to tell anindicator 2235 on the module to signal that the correct wire is inplace. In some embodiments, the indicator may indicate that the wire iscorrect with a light, such as a green LED light, a noise, etc. In someembodiments, the indicator may indicate that the wire is incorrect witha light, such as a red LED light, a noise, etc. In some embodiments,when a wire is connected in the module (the module in the controller,the controller having been told what wire to expect) the light willlight up green if the correct wire is found to be connected (by thecontroller, module, or a combination) or will light up red if thecorrect wire is not found to be connected (by the controller, module, orsome other combination).

Examples are provided herein to help illustrate aspects of thetechnology, but the examples given within this document do not describeall possible embodiments. Embodiments are not limited to the specificimplementations, arrangements, displays, features, approaches, orscenarios provided herein. A given embodiment may include additional ordifferent technical features, mechanisms, and/or data structures, forinstance, and may otherwise depart from the examples provided herein.

We claim:
 1. A method for verifying controlled devices attached to acontroller, the method comprising: selecting, using a system model thatmodels a system of devices comprising the controlled devices attached tothe controller, a grouping of the system of devices to be tested;conducting a test of the grouping to produce a test result for thegrouping, wherein conducting the test comprises transmitting acommunication to at least one device associated with the grouping;choosing a graphical representation of a portion of the system modelfrom a plurality of graphical representations based on the graphicalrepresentation including a representation of the grouping; anddisplaying, on a user interface, the graphical representation and anindication of the test result.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinconducting the test comprises: querying the system model to determine anexpected behavior of the grouping in response to the communication; andafter transmitting the communication, comparing an actual behavior ofthe grouping to the expected behavior.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinconducting the test comprises transmitting an additional communicationto an additional device associated with the grouping and different fromthe at least one device.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thecommunication comprises a request to read at least one value stored bythe at least one device.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the pluralityof graphical representations comprise: a first graphical representationhaving a first view type that displays groupings of the system ofdevices on a floor plan at locations modeled by the system model; and asecond graphical representation having a second view type different fromthe first view type that displays groupings of the system of devices aspart of an equipment diagram that displays functional connectionsbetween devices modeled by the system model.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the plurality of graphical representations comprises: a firstgraphical representation that displays a first portion of the systemmodel; and a second graphical representation that displays a secondportion of the system model that is different from the first portion. 7.The method of claim 1, wherein the grouping is at least one of: asensor, a piece of equipment, a heating/cooling zone, and a subsystem ofequipment.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein: the grouping has a firstgrouping type, the system model defines a second grouping having asecond grouping type different from the first grouping type, anddisplaying, on a user interface, the graphical representation and anindication of the test result comprises additionally displayingindications of: a first test status of groupings having the firstgrouping type, and a second test status of grouping having the secondgrouping type.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first grouping typeand the second grouping type are hierarchically arranged, whereby thegrouping having the first grouping type is combined with at least oneadditional grouping to form the second grouping.
 10. The method of claim8, further comprising repeating the steps of selecting, conducting,choosing, and conducting to iterate first through a first plurality ofgroupings having the first grouping type and then through a secondplurality of groupings having the second grouping type.
 11. The methodof claim 1, further comprising, while performing the step of conductingthe test: displaying the graphical representation together with anindication that the test is in progress, wherein the indication that thetest is in progress is displayed as part of the graphical representationat a position associated with the grouping.
 12. A controller forverifying controlled devices, the controller comprising: a plurality ofwiring pins configured to communicate with a plurality of devices of asystem of devices; a memory storing a system model that models thesystem of devices, a display device, and a processor configured to:select, using the system model, a grouping of the system of devices tobe tested; conduct a test of the grouping to produce a test result forthe grouping, wherein conducting the test comprises transmitting via atleast one of the plurality of wiring pins a communication to at leastone device associated with the grouping; choose a graphicalrepresentation of a portion of the system model from a plurality ofgraphical representations based on the graphical representationincluding a representation of the grouping; and display, via the displaydevice, the graphical representation and an indication of the testresult.
 13. The controller of claim 12, wherein, in conducting the test,the processor is configured to: query the system model to determine anexpected behavior of the grouping in response to the communication; andafter transmitting the communication, compare an actual behavior of thegrouping to the expected behavior.
 14. The controller of claim 12,wherein the plurality of graphical representations comprise: a firstgraphical representation having a first view type that displaysgroupings of the system of devices on a floor plan at locations modeledby the system model; and a second graphical representation having asecond view type different from the first view type that displaysgroupings of the system of devices as part of an equipment diagram thatdisplays functional connections between devices modeled by the systemmodel.
 15. The controller of claim 12, wherein the plurality ofgraphical representations comprises: a first graphical representationthat displays a first portion of the system model; and a secondgraphical representation that displays a second portion of the systemmodel that is different from the first portion.
 16. The controller ofclaim 12, wherein: the grouping has a first grouping type, the systemmodel defines a second grouping having a second grouping type differentfrom the first grouping type, and in displaying, on a user interface,the graphical representation and an indication of the test result, theprocessor is configured to additionally display indications of: a firsttest status of groupings having the first grouping type, and a secondtest status of grouping having the second grouping type.
 17. Thecontroller of claim 16, wherein the first grouping type and the secondgrouping type are hierarchically arranged, whereby the grouping havingthe first grouping type is combined with at least one additionalgrouping to form the second grouping.
 18. The controller of claim 16,wherein the processor is configured to repeat the steps of selecting,conducting, choosing, and conducting to iterate first through a firstplurality of groupings having the first grouping type and then through asecond plurality of groupings having the second grouping type.
 19. Thecontroller of claim 12, wherein the processor is further furtherconfigured to, while performing the step of conducting the test: displaythe graphical representation together with an indication that the testis in progress, wherein the indication that the test is in progress isdisplayed as part of the graphical representation at a positionassociated with the grouping.
 20. A machine-readable storage mediumencoded with instructions for execution by a processor for verifyingcontrolled devices attached to a controller, the machine-readablestorage medium comprising: instructions for selecting, using a systemmodel that models a system of devices comprising the controlled devicesattached to the controller, a grouping of the system of devices to betested; instructions for conducting a test of the grouping to produce atest result for the grouping, wherein conducting the test comprisestransmitting a communication to at least one device associated with thegrouping; instructions for choosing a graphical representation of aportion of the system model from a plurality of graphicalrepresentations based on the graphical representation including arepresentation of the grouping; and instructions for displaying, on auser interface, the graphical representation and an indication of thetest result.
 21. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20,wherein the instructions for conducting the test comprise: instructionsfor querying the system model to determine an expected behavior of thegrouping in response to the communication; and instructions for, aftertransmitting the communication, comparing an actual behavior of thegrouping to the expected behavior.
 22. The machine-readable storagemedium of claim 20, wherein the plurality of graphical representationscomprise: a first graphical representation having a first view type thatdisplays groupings of the system of devices on a floor plan at locationsmodeled by the system model; and a second graphical representationhaving a second view type different from the first view type thatdisplays groupings of the system of devices as part of an equipmentdiagram that displays functional connections between devices modeled bythe system model.
 23. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20,wherein the plurality of graphical representations comprises: a firstgraphical representation that displays a first portion of the systemmodel; and a second graphical representation that displays a secondportion of the system model that is different from the first portion.24. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein: thegrouping has a first grouping type, the system model defines a secondgrouping having a second grouping type different from the first groupingtype, and the instructions for displaying, on a user interface, thegraphical representation and an indication of the test result compriseinstructions for additionally displaying indications of: a first teststatus of groupings having the first grouping type, and a second teststatus of grouping having the second grouping type.
 25. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the first groupingtype and the second grouping type are hierarchically arranged, wherebythe grouping having the first grouping type is combined with at leastone additional grouping to form the second grouping.
 26. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 24, further comprisinginstructions for repeating the execution of the machine-readable storagemedium selecting, conducting, choosing, and conducting to iterate firstthrough a first plurality of groupings having the first grouping typeand then through a second plurality of groupings having the secondgrouping type.
 27. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 20,further comprising instructions for, while performing the step ofconducting the test: displaying the graphical representation togetherwith an indication that the test is in progress, wherein the indicationthat the test is in progress is displayed as part of the graphicalrepresentation at a position associated with the grouping.